VARTCVanuatu Agricultural Research & Technical Centre
Cattle grazing in the fields of the VARTC farm at Saraoutou, coconut palms behindPhoto: © European Union / Fiona Goodall · CC BY 4.0

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Partner impact wall

Six decades of partnership, project by project — with the evidence for each.

Partners also include MALFFB and DARD, PHAMA Plus, USP, IAC, Manaaki Whenua, NGOs and producer groups.[19]

Researchsince 1962

CIRAD (and IRHO, IRCC before it)

  • 1962IRHO founds the Saraoutou coconut research station.[1]
  • 1982IRCC opens the Valeteruru coffee and cocoa unit.[1]
  • 1984/85IRHO and IRCC merge into CIRAD; CIRAD manages the station until the end of its mandate on 1 January 2003.[2]
  • 1998 →CIRAD-VARTC root-crops programme led by Dr Vincent Lebot.[3]
  • 2001–2021Coconut carbon and water flux research (Cocoflux) at Saraoutou.[4]

Outcome: Improved Vanuatu Tall and VTT × Rennell hybrid; discovery of CFDV tolerance; hundreds of co-authored papers.[5]

943 CIRAD-tagged publications →
Research fundersince 2016

ACIAR

  • 2016–2021LPS/2014/037 smallholder beef cattle project: 17 grasses and 14 legumes tested at VARTC (2016–18), grazing trial, women’s training day.[6]
  • 2016Technical assistance from the cocoa programme to ACIAR and SPC projects.[7]

Outcome: Final report published (2021) with VARTC contributors.[6]

74 ACIAR-tagged publications →
Regionalsince 2016

SPC — Pacific Community (LRD, CePaCT)

  • 2016Five African yam accessions from CePaCT/IITA, parents of later hybrids.[8]
  • 2017Hybrid yams 'Dr Roger', 'White Waelu' and 'Jerome' launched.[8]
  • Aug 2023Pacific Seeds for Life seed-champions training at VARTC.[9]

Outcome: New yam hybrids in farmers’ gardens; trained seed champions.[8]

122 SPC-tagged publications →
UNsince 2013

FAO

  • 2013Climate Change and Agriculture in Vanuatu study highlights VARTC’s role in providing climate-ready varieties.[10]

Outcome:.

59 FAO-tagged publications →
Fundersince 1998

European Union

  • from 1998TANSAO taro network (EU INCO-DEV).[3]
  • from 1999SPYN South Pacific Yam Network (EU INCO-DEV).[3]
  • 2010INEA International Network for Edible Aroids (EU-FSTP).[3]
  • PRAP — 39 coconut hybrids created and evaluated for the Pacific region.[11]
  • Jun 2016Commissioner Neven Mimica visits the VARTC farm.[12]

Outcome: Regional taro and yam breeding networks coordinated from Santo.[3]

Research networksince 1998

COGENT, IPGRI / Bioversity & ADB

  • 1998–2000ADB-funded national coconut survey: 12 populations and 18 variants into the field gene bank.[13]
  • 1999VARTC hosts a regional coconut genetic resources course.[13]
  • c. 200360 living VARTC accessions in the international coconut genetic resources database.[13]

Outcome: Vanuatu’s coconut diversity conserved ex situ at Saraoutou.[13]

Fundersince c. 2002

IFAD

  • c. 2002Participatory coconut diversity survey on Vanua Lava (Caillon & Malau 2002), within an IFAD-funded project.[13]

Outcome: Coconut variants described and traditional uses recorded.[13]

Fundersince 2023

New Zealand MFAT & Department of Climate Change

  • 2023Pacific Seeds for Life (with SPC, MALFFB and Manaaki Whenua).[9]
  • 2024–2029CFF climate-resilient agriculture programme: 18 Provincial Seed Bank Officers, a National Seed Bank Manager, solar seed-bank power and a Seed Processing Facility.[14]

Outcome: A national seed-bank network anchored at VARTC.[14]

Conservationsince 2009

Crop Trust

  • 2009–2010Breadfruit, island cabbage and banana collections catalogued with the Global Crop Diversity Trust and SPC.[3]
  • 2021Global Strategy for Yam Genetic Resources, lead author V. Lebot (CIRAD/CTRAV).[15]

Outcome: VARTC collections documented for global conservation.[15]

Fundersince 2005

AFD-FFEM

  • 2005Root-crops agrobiodiversity in Vanuatu project.[3]

Outcome:

Sources on this page

  1. VARTC website, History (2016)
  2. MALFFB — Vanuatu Agriculture Research Technical Center (brief history)
  3. V. Lebot CV (ISRC 2013)
  4. ICOS — Cocoflux station VU-Coc (Saraoutou coconut plantation)
  5. Labouisse et al. 2004, OCL — coconut improvement in Vanuatu 1962–2002
  6. ACIAR final report LPS/2014/037 (2021)
  7. VARTC website, Cocoa Program (2016)
  8. SPC, Jan 2020 — Pacific Seeds for Life: yam breeding in Vanuatu
  9. SPC, Aug 2023 — Seed champions in Vanuatu
  10. FAO 2013 — Climate Change and Agriculture in Vanuatu
  11. VARTC website, Coconut Section (2016)
  12. European Commission Audiovisual Service, Jun 2016 — visit of Commissioner Neven Mimica (Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 4.0)
  13. Labouisse & Lahva, Status of coconut genetic resources research in Vanuatu
  14. Dept of Climate Change (DoCC), May 2026 — CFF monitoring visit
  15. Crop Trust 2021 — Global Strategy for Yam Genetic Resources
  16. Vanuatu Daily Post, 11 Jun 2020 — FSAC and VARTC
  17. VARTC website, Root Crops Section (2016)
  18. VARTC Act [CAP 286], Laws of the Republic of Vanuatu, Consolidated Edition 2006 (FAOLEX PDF)
  19. VARTC website, Partnerships (2016)